The Cases of Interest Team waited the allowed 90 investigation-days and reviewed only closed cases with one of three designations: Unknown Aerial Object, Unknown-Other, or Information Only. The first two classifications are the best reports – but we added Information Only cases because many of these include important information for further study.
Only cases that occurred in 2018 were reviewed. We had a long list of criteria for choosing cases. Especially liked cases under 100 feet from the witness; or under 500 feet, where the witness got a good look at the object. We liked two or more witnesses. We liked object details and a witness’s background.
The team weeded through 1,895 cases and chose 297 this year. The resulting data collected supports many long-known UFO trends. The object remains mostly silent, moves through space, air and water without resistance, can hover in place, stop on a dime, travel great distances in a short time, and can be one of a wide range of sizes and shapes. They tend to move about in groups of two or more. Few location patterns are known as sightings seem to occur at random, lasting two to three minutes. Exit patterns continue to vary from slowly moving away until the witness’s view is obscured, to the object zooming away and disappearing into space in a matter of seconds.
The following are 2018 database patterns from these 297 cases.
PROXIMITY TO OBJECT
How close did our witnesses get to the objects? The group revealed 63 cases under 100 feet distant (or 21 percent); 87 cases under 500 feet (29 percent); and 53 cases under 1,000 feet (17 percent). Our witnesses were watching the objects at or under 1,000 feet in 67 percent of the cases.
COMMON DETAILS
Some of the statistics are big numbers. Our witnesses told us the objects hovered in 85 cases or 28.6 percent of the time: A very common thread. In 86 cases, or nearly 29 percent of the time, the witness was either driving a vehicle or riding as a passenger when the event occurred. In 84 cases, the witness described seeing a triangle shape – the largest shape selection this year.
Other stats are small numbers but reveal recurring trends over the years. In three cases, or just 1 percent of the time, witnesses said the objects chased them.
Now we know there’s no known epidemic of UFOs chasing humans. But were these witnesses bothered by the experience? Simply by being close to a UFO or watching one at a distance?
PHYSICAL EFFECTS
When we asked about physical effects – our witnesses made 24 observations from 14 different cases – just less than 5 percent of the cases – describing: Calm and restraint, disorientation, dizziness. Thought of the idea they should not take a picture. Their ears rang, eyes felt hurt or irritated. Had a feeling the entity was not evil. They felt frozen, overwhelmed, seen by the entity. Their lower lip burned. They were mesmerized, had a migraine headache, felt nausea, panic, rage. Their throat and mouth were sore. They experienced a time loss. Another felt they were in a trance.
Seven reports include mention of electronics affected at the ground level.
FEAR FACTOR
While directly feeling ill effects from a UFO would be quite frightening, some witnesses were outright afraid during their encounters. Twelve witnesses reported being at some level of fright during their episodes.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO
Classically, UFO photography and video are a wretched mess. Can’t anyone get a high definition photo? Can just one person hold the camera steady during a video shoot? Thirty-two witnesses reported taking one or more object photos. Seventeen reported taking video. This year’s collection contains its fair share of the fuzzy and the damned, but there are a few worth looking at.
CLOAKING
Cloaking objects seem to be on the rise with 19 cases (or 6 percent) describing various phases of the entire craft disappearing or fading away.
Other object surface observations include: angular lines, appendages, arched ribs, an aura, appeared to be breathing, chrome-like, dark, edges blurry, filmy mist, fog around it, fuzzy, glass-like, matte-like, metal-paned glass, metallic, misty, a pattern of black dots, perpetual kinetic motion, pink burning atmosphere, plated, reddish webbing, reflecting light, seamless, shiny, silvery, skin pattern, smooth bottom, strips of metal fluttering off, watery ripples, and windows.
REPEATING PATTERNS
Witnesses again this year are revealing the repeating pattern that UFOs come in all sizes – from something you might hold in the palm of your hand to objects measuring three or four football fields long. And while we have repeating patterns on shape, the triangle maintains its lead as the most commonly reported shape. But it would almost seem no two UFOs are identical. Another repeating pattern is that UFOs do not follow our mass production style of supply and demand. The other most common repeating pattern is that, despite shape and size, the object can move great distances in very short time spans, can stop on a dime, hover in place, and all of the above without making a sound. Then in smaller groups, witnesses are reporting electrical failures at the ground level, drained batteries, radio interference, reducing the chances of good, high definition photography. Sometimes the ground effects are weirder. Some witnesses report loss of time, disorientation, an awareness of the total lack of natural sound, or situations where other people around do not seem to be aware of the object.
WITNESS BACKGROUND
Witness testimony from any location or background is important, but we did take note in particular cases where a background might strengthen a case. Twenty-four of our witnesses identified as: aircraft enthusiast, air traffic controller, engineer, flight navigator, law enforcement, military, pilot, or police.
COMMUNICATED WITH OBJECT
Another recurring trend is the witness feeling as though they had a communication connection with the object. While it’s described in various ways, in 11 cases this year witnesses revealed what happened.
THE MILITARY
A military presence during cases continues to repeat year after year. Seven reports say they were near a military base when the sighting occurred. Six witnesses reported military aircraft. Two reported military helicopters.
WITNESS OVERVIEW
The witness numbers reporting to MUFON are guesstimated at about one in 50. That’s a personal guess after years of research. For every case filed, there are most likely 49 more cases going unreported or filed elsewhere. As a single database, the MUFON UFO Index – naming cases of interest – appears to be the largest collection of its kind on the planet. The organization, prior to 2017, did few tracking projects where the larger data was studied and manipulated. Keywords were applied here to each case where necessary in four index areas: Location, Object, Site and Witness.
A Location Index was obvious so that specific city-state or country cases could be reviewed together. One reader simply wants cases close to the hometown. A researcher is reviewing all triangle-shaped object cases in one region. We can also study sightings by the nearest population levels.
The Object Index is where the data begins to get most interesting. We cover object: altitude, behavior, color, light color, light intensity, lighting motion, movement, multiples, shape, size, sound, structure, and surface.
The Site Index covers case details at the scene, including: animals effected, beams of light to the ground, electronics effected, entities seen, military intervention, sounds and other oddities.
The Witness Index data includes: background, communication with object, drivers or vehicle passengers, fright details, photo or video taken, and physical affects.
Reviewed as a whole, the 2018 data is a continuing set of encounter details describing mostly what we already know. It’s interesting at first on exactly where and when the encounters occurred. Many witnesses were in vulnerable, rural locations, baffled by what they were experiencing. Some were in highly populated areas wondering why there weren’t more witnesses. The data colors itself when the patterns are studied – painting dozens of intimate portraits of humans and UFOs interacting at random locations.
In most of the cases, it seems the object is on a surveillance mission of some sort with little or no regard to the humans watching. While there is a percentage of cases significantly high enough to study where communication with the object is noted – the average case reports that the object simply moves away without bothering the witness. In a rather high number of cases, the witness reports that had they not been looking in that very spot, at that very time, the object would never have been noticed. With no sound emissions, even with body lighting, the object is often just never seen by people on the street. And there is a significant number of cases annually wherein witnesses report watching the objects cloak themselves. Somewhat amusing is the number of witnesses who say it appeared the objects were having difficulties with their cloaking devices as they were turning the objects on and off repeatedly. Let’s hope Scotty is in the engine room rearranging energy sources so the captain can get to a warp drive.
The end of the story this year is that we have a worldwide UFO epidemic most likely witnessed by less than one percent of the worldwide population annually. It’s like counting the number of people worldwide who had snake bites last year or only people killed in incidents involving an international waterway during a British holiday after 5 p.m.
UFOs are real. Research continues. We wonder about the intelligence behind objects. Purchase of UFO Cases of Interest: 2019 Edition helps keep the research going. Special thanks to the men and women of MUFON in the field daily resolving UFO cases. Please report UFO cases at mufon.com.
ROGER MARSH 